Ragin Dave's Thoughts on Cajun Coaches

[Just1More]

_ Quite simple. You go 6-2 in conference which is absolutely possible and beat Ohio. I don't understand how so many people are thinking that the Ohio game is an automatic loss. They were lucky to escape NT on the road this season and the MAC is terrible. They aren't going to be any better. We return 17 starters next year and we are more than likely going to be picked in the top 3 in the SBC. Teams like FAU, ASU, MTSU lose a lot of key personnel and even Troy loses a LOT on defense. Their offense will be just as good more than likely but their defense will lose its heart and soul. We are going to be one of the more experienced teams in the SBC. A 6-2 record is more than possible. _

Zephyr, you are smarter than to get hung up in this low analysis. I could care less "what is possible". I do not operate my life on "what might be possible". "I might not get burned playing with matches in a vat full of gasoline."

We are ticked off at the self-imposed wishful thinking that we operate under. In the 80s and 90s, we didn't look at Memphis, Tulane and USM and say "we might beat them". We just beat them. We looked at Auburn, Oklahoma State, Arkansas and Mississippi State and said "we might beat them".... and we almost did.

We have always been public fund limited... always... and we set out to achieve much higher results... because in Lafayette, we had intangibles that none of these other programs had. Stokley's teams would have buried everyone in the Sunbelt every year, without preparing for them.

If your expectations are 6-2 against a barrel full of clowns... it only means that you are better than most of the clowns you hang out with.

I can't wait to take on Mobil again in basketball some day... and edge them out.

[Turbine]

...We return 17 starters next year and we are more than likely going to be picked in the top 3 in the SBC. Teams like FAU, ASU, MTSU lose a lot of key personnel and even Troy loses a LOT on defense. Their offense will be just as good more than likely but their defense will lose its heart and soul. We are going to be one of the more experienced teams in the SBC. A 6-2 record is more than possible. _

In my mind the biggest success factor next year will be how well the new offensive line comes together. If they jell 6-2 is very doable, if they don't 2-6 is just as achievable.

jmo

[zephyr]

_ In my mind the biggest success factor next year will be how well the new offensive line comes together. If they jell 6-2 is very doable, if they don't 2-6 is just as achievable.

jmo _

Turbine, in my mind there is no "NEW" offensive line. Jaron Odom and Kyle Plouhar have been able to gain valuable experience over the past couple of seasons and I'm sure that Bustle will either move Burks to center or insert Ruiz perhaps while Plouhar is moved to tackle. I'm not as concerned about the experience factor as I don't know if you're going to see any dropoff in production. The line this year was experienced but they did nothing to convince me that they were much better than those that will replace them.

You guys have to look at what other teams are losing. UL and NT will be the schools that return the most starters next year with FIU not that far behind and WKU. Many of you state that we "should" have one at least one more conference game this year as it is which would have put us at 5-3. To me, 6-2 is very doable next year and should, quite frankly, be expected.

[HOUCajun]

_ Turbine, in my mind there is no "NEW" offensive line. Jaron Odom and Kyle Plouhar have been able to gain valuable experience over the past couple of seasons and I'm sure that Bustle will either move Burks to center or insert Ruiz perhaps while Plouhar is moved to tackle. I'm not as concerned about the experience factor as I don't know if you're going to see any dropoff in production. The line this year was experienced but they did nothing to convince me that they were much better than those that will replace them.

You guys have to look at what other teams are losing. UL and NT will be the schools that return the most starters next year with FIU not that far behind and WKU. Many of you state that we "should" have one at least one more conference game this year as it is which would have put us at 5-3. To me, 6-2 is very doable next year and should, quite frankly, be expected. _

I agree with just about all of that.

[zephyr]

_ Zephyr, you are smarter than to get hung up in this low analysis. I could care less "what is possible". I do not operate my life on "what might be possible". "I might not get burned playing with matches in a vat full of gasoline."

We are ticked off at the self-imposed wishful thinking that we operate under. In the 80s and 90s, we didn't look at Memphis, Tulane and USM and say "we might beat them". We just beat them. We looked at Auburn, Oklahoma State, Arkansas and Mississippi State and said "we might beat them".... and we almost did.

We have always been public fund limited... always... and we set out to achieve much higher results... because in Lafayette, we had intangibles that none of these other programs had. Stokley's teams would have buried everyone in the Sunbelt every year, without preparing for them.

If your expectations are 6-2 against a barrel full of clowns... it only means that you are better than most of the clowns you hang out with.

I can't wait to take on Mobil again in basketball some day... and edge them out. _

I would rather operate with the MO of What is possible rather than "What has been". The barrel full of clowns are what we are stuck with. There is nothing that we can do to change the company for which we compete against. I don't think anybody is going to care where the wins come from as long as we get to 7 wins. The analysis is pretty straight forward. The teams at the top of the conference this year were there for several reasons, one main reason was experience. Most of these teams lose tons of players that were as important to their teams as Des, Chery and Fenroy were to ours. Let's see how they manage to replace them also.